As World Albinism Day is marked globally today, Governments and patriotic citizens have been urged to support efforts at eradicating discrimination against Persons living with Albinism and providing them adequate medical care for their skin conditions.
June 13 every year, is observed as the International Albinism Awareness Day, to represent the celebration of the human rights of people with albinism and raise awareness for their health condition.
This year’s celebration has as its theme “United in making our voices heard.”
Speaking on the significance of the occasion, the Chairman, Anambra State Disability Rights Commission, Barr Chuks Ezewuzie debunked the notion that Persons with Albinism are sub-human.
According to him, this notion is driven by superstitious beliefs, saying persons living with Albinism are normal humans and the society must accord them their rights.
“The Disability Rights Commission in Anambra State joins the rest of the world to celebrate this year’s Albinism Day.
“We appreciate the fact that the United Nations found it necessary to create awareness on the human rights of persons living with Albinism.
“Two major factors have been identified as militating against the happiness of this category of people and they are discrimination and lack of adequate medical care for persons living with albinism.
“We must understand that contrary to these myths and superstitious beliefs that persons with albinism are sub-humans, they are just like everyone else and must be treated like such.
“They propagate the falsehood that when one marries a person with albinism, they must give birth to persons with albinism but that’s not true,” he said.
Ezewuzie advised persons with Albinism to always voice out whenever they experience such discriminatory attitude towards them, to enable relevant authorities intervene.
He appealed to government and good-spirited individuals to invest in providing adequate medicare for persons living with Albinism.
Meanwhile, members of the Anambra State Albinism Association (ASAA) lead by the Chairperson Mrs. Ezeonwumelu Vivian Chika have organized a walk round Awka, Anambra State Capital as part of activities marking the International Albinism Awareness Day (IAAD)
The members while creating awareness, urged Anambrarians to stop the discrimination, ill-treatment concerning persons with Albinism from either parents, guardians, or teachers.
Chairperson Anambra State Albinism Association Mrs. Ezeonwumelu Vivian Chika in her address said Albinism is a rare, non-contagious, genetically inherited difference present at birth.
“In almost all types of Albinism, both parents must carry the gene for it to be passed on, even if they do not have albinism themselves,” she explained.
Ezeonwumelu lamented that many parents have denied their children from marrying any person with Albinism with the belief that it will come into the family, while many companies reject persons with Albinism from being gainfully employed thinking that they cannot deliver.
“Some teachers send the children with Albinism on errands under the sun without making sure if the child is will protected from the Ultraviolet radiation from the sun.
“With these, the child is been exposed to the dangers of skin cancer,” she noted.
